There are seventy-three days left until Election Day 2020 and Americans are in one of the biggest, if not the biggest, fights of our life.  No matter which side of this fight that we are on we are in the fight for the very soul of America.  The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and his minions are battling to suck what serves as the life-giving blood out of America during this extended period of night.  Mr. Trump and his minions are virtual vampires that are trying desperately to drain America of the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

The Declaration of Independence specifically states that these unalienable rights – life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness – have been bestowed upon all humans by their creator.  And although the Constitution stops short of specifically mentioning happiness, it specifically mentions life and liberty.  As Americans, we have long known that life and liberty allows us the opportunity to be the best that we can possibly be and that they are key components to our potential to pursue livelihood as we see fit and establish a free and happy life at whatever level in society that we choose and are capable of reaching…i.e., “the pursuit of happiness.”  So, although the Constitution does not specifically mention “the pursuit of happiness,” it without doubt implies that we are entitled to this.

What are these virtual vampires doing to suck the blood out of America and make those of us who would prefer to keep America great rather than join the Trump clan who want to participate in a so-called rebirth of America to “Make America Great Again”?  They are joined at the hip with Mr. Trump in all of his shenanigans to do anything and everything that it takes to hold onto power by:

• According to the book “Hoax” by Brian Stelter (and long-held suspicions held by a large percentage of the American people), allowing Fox News to vicariously run the country by allowing Fox News to determine his decisions and policies many of which completely ignore science and are based on conspiracy theories
• Pretending that Coronavirus/COVID-19 does not exist, misinforming the American people about this disease and knowingly and willingly putting them in danger
• Spreading rumors, without evidence, that mail-in ballots will be rife with fraud and as a result…
• Withholding badly needed funding for the post office that will help them to get mail-in ballots to the polls on time so that they will be counted
• Removing mail sorting machines from post offices
• Eliminating overtime at post offices
• Firing post office managers or removing them from their current positions
• Removing post office mailboxes from off the streets where they have long stood
• Treating election mail (ballots) like bulk mail rather than first class mail
• Refusing to address foreign interference in our elections and instead soliciting their help in his own reelection
• Using the Department of Justice to punish his enemies and help his friends
• Using the Department of State and other Departments to line his own pockets
• Firing those who openly disagree with him or investigate any allegations against him even if an investigation is warranted
• Replacing longtime, qualified civil servants with large donors/political hacks
• Lying about almost everything…even when the truth would be as good or better…
• And the list goes on

Right now The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America is doing everything that he can to destroy the United States Postal Service, undermine the American election process by causing the American people to question its integrity and fairness and thereby lose confidence in the entire system and to suppress the vote in any other way possible so that he can be reelected.  He is emboldened by the fact that the Republican-led Senate refused to convict him, despite overwhelming evidence of his guilt, after he was impeached by the House.  He is ignoring all of the norms associated with the position that he holds and is handing out pardons to his convicted friends like candy to children on Halloween!

Mr. Trump was an extremely dangerous and freighting man as a regular American because of the power that he commanded due to his wealth and influence as a celebrity.  But he is even more dangerous and freighting now because of the enormous power that he wields as The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America.  He is the most powerful man in the world and holds the potential to almost singlehandedly destroy our democracy!  It is unfortunate but it appears that that is exactly what he is trying to do.  And that is why that no matter how many obstacles that he and his Republican minions place in our way in an effort to keep us from voting, we must surmount those obstacles and vote anyway!  I literally cannot say this too many times before Election Day 2020!  Hopefully I will not need to continue to say it after Election Day because we will have voted him and all of his enablers out of office.

Let us not become complacent and not vote due to the obstacles that Mr. Trump and his minions place in our path and we feel that they are too hard to deal with.  Let us not become complacent because Vice President Joe Biden currently has a comfortable lead according to the polls and that his running mate Senator Kamala Harris poses a formidable challenge to whomever Mr. Trump’s running mate might be: The stakes are just too high.  Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris need you!  America needs you!  So always remember, your vote is the most important one of all…unless you don’t use it!

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line

Have you ever tried to get information of any kind to what America considers to be “important” Americans?  Let me be clear, I mean people like past presidents, past first ladies, past Senators and Representatives (current Senators and Representatives?)…and cable news talk show hosts?  I have.  It is virtually impossible!  In my case, it doesn’t matter whether I use high-tech mail or snail mail it just can’t seem to find its way to the person that I am sending it to.  Now don’t get me wrong, I know that “important” people have to be protected from gadflies, unlike the rest of Americans who can receive tons of junk mail each year and be subjected to salespeople or anyone else who wants to plug a bogus name into our caller ID – no matter how much we might complain to our elected officials about it and ask them to fix this problem, because they are “important.”  I have come to grips with the presumed fact that the rest of us are not “important?”  So I think that maybe I accept it?  However, I’m not yet sure about all of this so I am still working on it…it sure can be confusing!

I was moved to write this piece because I was so filled with pride and happiness when Mr. Barrack Obama was elected president that I wrote a poem about him and the First Lady.  I knew how I felt and I believed that virtually all Black Americans held these same feelings so I wanted the President and First Lady to have this poem and have the opportunity to read it, hear my interpretation of it and possibly vicariously feel the overwhelming pride and exhilaration that all of us Black Americans were feeling as a result of them leading our great country, America.  I was so filled with pride and excitement that I gave this poem to the head of the Democratic Party in Denver and asked her if she would see to it that the President and First Lady received it; she said that she would try to see that this happened.  In addition to giving my poem to her, I gave it to the major television stations in Denver and tried to convince them that it was newsworthy.  They didn’t buy it.  So here it is twelve years later and the President and First Lady still have not had an opportunity to read this poem or had the opportunity to be exposed to or even try to experience the great happiness and pride that overwhelms me, and I believe all Black Americans, every time that I think about them.

I acknowledge that there cannot be even the slightest comparison to what President and First Lady Obama tried to do during President Obama’s term in office – and are still trying to do – and the overwhelming pride that I feel and have expressed in my poem, but it is the most eloquent way that I can come up with to express the agape love and great pride that I, and I believe all Black Americans, have for him and our First Lady…so I ask that you will please indulge me this one time.  My point is that I have tried to the best of my ability to get this poem to President Obama and the First Lady but have been unsuccessful.  This leads to the perfect segue into the other “important” Americans, past and current Senators and Representatives and the cable news talk show folks.  Whenever I have tried to reach them my snail mail has come back to me marked “return to sender.”  How sentimental, I can’t help but to reminisce about an old Elvis Pressley song…you know it; “Return To Sender.”

Sometimes I can’t help but to wonder if it is not only because I am not on the “important” Americans list but maybe it is because I am on some “important” Americans’ bad guy list.  I do write a lot of articles about “important” Americans and I have heard that if you use certain names or words on the phone, via electronic mail or via any articles that you write on your computer and/or post to a website, that those names and words are picked up by those monitoring for them and may generate scrutiny by the monitors.  Whoa, just thinking about that scares me!  Just for the record, I’m not a bad guy.  Anyway, this regular American can’t seem to get in touch with “important” Americans: Maybe some regular Americans can but even if they can, they don’t seem to have any impact, especially with our elected officials.  If they can get in contact with them and have some impact, why are we having all of these protests and why does nothing seem to effectuate any change without such protests; why doesn’t it at least stem the endless tide of the divisive statements and incitement to violence based on race by The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America?!  Obviously, it has neither brought about his removal from office nor has it stopped him from publically exhibiting this shameful behavior, which makes his unfitness for the highest office in America painfully obvious!

Protests in every state in our country; with the way that things are going in our federal government right now, who would have thunk (not misspelled) it?!  I mean, just because the checks and balances on the Executive Branch of government have been pushed over the edge of the cliff – by the Executive Branch – and are hanging on solely by their metaphorical fingernails does not mean that the American people should panic, does it?  And that The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America has become completely unhinged, in large part, as a result of observing this, and attributed it to his grip on power; that should not give Americans pause, should it?  After all, he says that the coronavirus pandemic is under control and that the things that the press is saying about Russia placing a bounty on the heads of American soldiers is a hoax, that Americans should discount this “fake news” and move on with our lives.  With his track record surly we can believe and trust him…right?!

Think about it.  America is in very deep trouble and even if all of us do our civic duty and vote Mr. Trump and all of his enablers out of office in November, we will still be faced with a long and arduous uphill battle.  This is indeed a battle for the soul of America; and if we don’t vote him and his lackeys out of office then America will continue to be drawn by the siren call of The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America until she crashes upon the unseen rocks and her pieces will be carried away by the whim of various currents to a myriad of unknown places.  True, Sirens should still exist only in folklore; but Mr. Trump exists in a Trump World bubble and has become the siren of folklore personified in our modern day world.  He has lured many other elected and appointed officials into his orbit, mesmerized them and they now belong to him: they have completely failed to honor the oath of office that they took and have utterly failed to move America in the direction that the majority of the American people want her to travel.

Before I close, let’s address paragraph two of this article, a paragraph that to some might appear to be somewhat incongruent to this piece, and determine what in the world the poem that I wrote in honor of President and First Lady Obama has to do with the rest of the article.  Okay, here we go.

President Obama:

• Was the President of all of the people, not just those who voted for him
  • I’m proud of that
• Worked to pull us together as Americans, not to divide us and pit us against one another
  • I’m proud of that
• Was pensive, he put a lot of thought into what American policy should be
  • I’m proud of that
• Listened
  • I’m proud of that
• Valued all civil servants, their experience and expertise and thoughtfully weighed the advice given to him by heads of their departments and his cabinet members
  • I’m proud of that
• Did not tweet his way through domestic and foreign policy
  • I’m proud of that
• Was the first African American President of the United States of America
  • I’m proud of that
• As President, placed the interest of America above his personal interest…and the list goes on
  • I’m proud of that

I was extremely proud then and remain extremely proud now of President and First Lady Obama.  The fact that I am an African American only intensifies that sense of pride.  I really wanted to get that poem to them, especially, sense I was inspired by them to write it and wrote it in their honor.  I could not get it to them then and, to this day, still cannot get it to them: it’s sort of like the rest of the unimportant people who can’t seem to get through to the “important” people who represent them in order to bring about desired change.  Hence, protests and demonstrations.

Now that those of you who were scratching your head about paragraph two of this article know why it is there, your mind should be free to focus on and dwell on the final and urgently important message that I want to leave you with.  That message is this: whether you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent, always remember, your vote is the most important one of all…unless you don’t use it!

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line

Since the day that Mr. Donald J. Trump was inaugurated, the democracy of the United States of America has been under siege.  To my knowledge, no democracy has ever lasted longer than that of the United States of America.  My hypothetical equation as to how much damage that our democracy will sustain under the so called leadership of Mr. Trump, if we will recover from it or whether it will even last is this: (18000 L + TIO + IATIO)/3.5 Y x DJT Lifespan = DJTDTD.  In this equation “L” = lies, “TIO” = time in office, “IATIO” = influence after time in office, “Y” = years, “DJT” = Donald J. Trump and DJTDTD = Donald J. Trump damage to democracy.  So to state the equation, it is: the sum of 18,000 lies plus time in office plus influence after time in office divided by 3.5 years times Donald J. Trump lifespan = Donald J. Trump damage to democracy.  In other words, the democracy of the United States of America could hinge on this hypothetical equation and whether or not, by way of our vote, we will cut that “TIO” short.  If we cut it short, America stands a much greater chance of continuing to survive as a democracy.

What did we get ourselves into when America elected Mr. Trump – according to the American intelligence community, with Russia’s help?!  Only history will reveal the complete story.  Unfortunately, many of us will not be around when the final chapter of this occupier of the Oval Office, The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America is revealed.  Whether or not we are around for the final chapter, we are all witnesses right now to the unfettered carnage that Mr. Trump has unleashed and is continuing to unleash on America.

With the Novel Coronavirus that has America in its grip – and to date has killed almost 120,000 Americans – and protests in every state of the United States and around the world because of the rate at which the police are brutalizing and murdering black men and women as if our lives do not matter, The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America has chosen to move on from the coronavirus pandemic and focus on his reelection campaign.  He has moved on from the coronavirus problem by pretending that the pandemic no longer exists in America and is in essence discouraging Americans from wearing masks and from social distancing. He and his Republican minions in the House and Senate are pushing “reopening” America with little to no regard given to advice by scientists and health experts as to how to handle such a reopening.

As regards the brutalization and murders of black men and women by police and the need for transformational reform in the 18,000 police departments throughout the United States, Mr. Trump and almost all congressional Republicans insist that there is not systemic racism in the police departments around the country and that a “few bad apples” in these police departments are causing these problems.  They insist that the problems in police departments can be solved with more training and a bit of tweaking.  Those in the United States and around the world who have been protesting and demanding change because of the way that the police in America treat black people obviously disagree.  And they are continuing to express that disagreement.

Mr. Trump and his administration have failed miserably to provide America and the American people with the leadership that we deserve.  The United States State Department and Department of Justice (DOJ) have succumbed to Mr. Trump’s influence and have now become completely possessed by him.  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo eagerly carries Mr. Trump’s water and DOJ head, William Barr, is nothing more than Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer.  He has done nothing to act as the American peoples’ lawyer and he has lost the confidence of his predecessors, his peers and many of those civil servants who, unfortunately, fall under his auspices.

I would be remiss if I did not mention Trump former National Security Advisor John Bolton.  Mr. Bolton, for whatever reason – I believe it was for consideration of future potential profit from a book that he wrote, was also among those who protected and enabled Mr. Trump: he refused to testify in the House impeachment proceedings and said that he would only testify before the senate if subpoenaed.  With the Republican-led senate, guided by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, hell-bent on clearing Mr. Trump of all Impeachment charges to the point where they chose to have a trial without calling any witnesses, Mr. Bolton did not have to concern himself about being subpoenaed.  He likely knew this in advance.  And although Mr. Bolton’s testimony probably would not have changed the final result of Mr. Trump’s impeachment trial, it would have put more pressure on the senate to avoid presenting a sham trial to the American people.  I agree with Congressman Adam Schiff; former National Security Advisor John Bolton might be an author but he is not a patriot!

The failed well-warranted attempt to impeach and convict Mr. Trump allowed him to remain in office to complete his first term.  And there is no doubt that The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America can do a tremendous amount of damage between now and the time that he leaves office if he should lose.  But he can do far more damage if he is given another four years.  Whether you support Mr. Trump or feel that America needs a new president, it is incumbent upon all of us to vote this November.  And if we all vote no matter how many roadblocks that Mr. Trump and his Republican minions place in our paths, I am confident that America will have a new president in office in January 2021.  I believe that that new president will be a Democrat.  I also believe that all of those elected officials who placed their personal and political ambition above their oath to defend America against all enemies foreign and domestic and blindly followed The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America will be held to account and will be replaced.

So always remember, whether you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent, your vote is the most important one of all…unless you don’t use it!

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line

With the handling of the death of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, the effort by the U.S. Department of Justice to dismiss all charges against General Michael Flynn, the reduction of the sentence of Roger Stone and the release of Paul Manafort from jail to complete the rest of his sentence at home under house arrest, it does cause one to question whether lady justice is really blind or if she only sees white; especially if those “ones” are people of color.  This applies even more so to those “ones” if they are Black.

Heck, right now The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America is even trying to get President Barrack Obama investigated under a trumped up (pun intended) charge that he is calling Obamagate.  When reporter Phil Rucker from The Washington Post asked him what the specific crime was that he was referring to The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America responded “you know what it is, just read the newspapers – except yours; you’re fake news.”  I’m pretty sure that the so called crime that he was referring to was PWB or President While Black.  Why Not?  If you are going to have a trumped up charge, why not pair it with a trumped up crime?  That would make perfect sense to any self-proclaimed stable genius, right?

With the deaths from COVID-19 approaching 90,000, The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America is promulgating the news that “vaccine or no vaccine, we are back.”  He is not only encouraging all of the states to completely reopen but he is pressuring them to do so.  He is also advocating that all of the schools reopen.  He says that, in the scheme of things, COVID-19 is impacting on a very small number of the American people and that among those who get this virus, many of them end up with only sniffles.  Further, among those who get it, he believes that the vast majority of them not only recover but they become immune.  Problem solved!  So in the mind of any self-proclaimed stable genius, there is no need to do any further research on this virus, right?

Most Americans – whether they are Democrats or Republicans are afraid to begin to return to work, eat at restaurants, go to bars, go to beauty solons, go to barbershops, attend sports events or do anything else that involves close contact with other people without first hearing the truth about the current status of COVID-19, whether America has it contained and/or controlled and what her plan is for reopening our country.  The American people are hungry for leadership and guidance from all levels of our government.  And although governors are striving to provide it, they are struggling due to a dearth of leadership at the federal level; especially at the very top level!  Bottom line?  The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America has abandoned the American people – including state and local elected officials – in an effort to assure that he will be reelected.  How ironic.  But it makes perfect sense to a self-proclaimed stable genius, right?

With a weak-kneed senate led by weak-kneed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, it is obvious that the American people are going to have to take the lead to save America.  Mitch McConnell led the senate in its successful effort to avoid convicting The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America of those things that were leveled against him in his impeachment trial and removing him from office although the evidence against him was voluminous.  He and all of his fellow Republicans are continuing to protect and enable Mr. Trump amid this terrible COVID-19 crisis by circling the partisan wagons around him.  They eagerly kowtow to him for political reasons rife with greed and personal gain.  The oath that they took when they took office has long become empty words whose only worth is to serve as fodder to fuel the fire of their own personal ambition and greed and to fuel the fire of the reelection campaign of Mr. Donald J. Trump.

All of those who support and enable Mr. Trump and The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America himself must be held to account for what has happened in America during Mr. Trump’s tenure as the occupier of the Oval Office.  It is crystal clear that those of his supporters who now hold office as representatives and senators are not going to honor their oath of office and step up and protect America against “enemies foreign and domestic.”  But “we the people” can still uphold our duty as American citizens.  We can do this in November 2020 by voting those out of office who have forgotten why they were elected and have with bold arrogance flagrantly trampled on and trashed their oath of office.

So always remember, whether you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent, your vote is the most important one of all…unless you don’t use it!

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line

The Mr. Donald J. Trump of the United States of America recently said that he does not have a racist bone in his body.  The only way that this can be true is if he is a mollusk: is Mr. Trump a mollusk?!  Does he have all of that racist mushy stuff sloshing around inside of an external bony shell that looks human?  That’s as scary as what all of the hatred and divisiveness that constantly flows out of his mouth has the potential of doing to America!  Mr. Trump is a United States race war looking for an opportunity to happen, he is a war with Iran desperately seeking a reason to explode onto the scene, he is chaos personified and that chaos is yearning to be free to express itself so that all eyes will be on Mr. Donald J. Trump no matter how great the resulting mayhem that follows and resounds far beyond its wake!

Mr. Trump has so many ‘acting’ officials in his administration that they are almost impossible to keep up with and the litany of scandals that have occurred on his watch are almost just as hard to track.  Real governance under his watch is at best rare and at worst (hopefully) the punch line of jokes for the late night comedians.  None of this seems to bother Mr. Trump in the least and if it has any impact on congressional Republicans, they steadfastly refuse to show it.  Their willingness to sell their soul to Mr. Trump followed by their blind loyalty to him is astounding.  Once they enter his orbit they are ultimately sucked into some kind of an indescribable black hole and into his control; a control that allows him to manipulate them to the point to where they will do almost anything for him.

A perfect example of how this strange phenomenon works is reflected in the new version of Senator Lindsey Graham.  He has morphed into someone who is totally unrecognizable when compared to the man that he was when he was a close associate of the late Senator John McCain.  When he was associated with Senator McCain he was a reasonable man who made reasonable decisions.  Even when he ran for president in 2016 he called Mr. Trump out as a kook and conman who was unfit to hold the office of president.  Now, he is a complete Trump toady who seems to like nothing better than carrying Mr. Trump’s water.

As I continue to watch Mr. Trump and these Republican congressmen it brings to mind a movie that I watched not too long ago called ‘The Best Of Enemies.’  This movie is based on fact and depicts things that actually occurred in Durham, North Carolina and it is playing out in America right now in the way that the Mr. Donald J. Trump of the United States of America conducts himself.  I am not going to spoil the movie for you by expounding on details in the event that you have not already watched it.  But even if you have not already seen it you are likely at least familiar with the events on which it is based that actually occurred in North Carolina.  So I am going to try to share my thoughts about it as it relates to the Trump administration without spoiling it for you should you decide to watch it.

In this movie as I picture it, Mr. Trump is the mayor who presided over the city council, the Republican congress members are the city council members, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is the council member who represents Ms. Ann Atwater’s district and Senator Lindsey Graham plays the part of the KKK president C.P. Ellis.  For those who have already seen the movie, you might not agree with me on who plays the various characters.  And for those who have not already seen it – after you watch it – you might not agree with me either.  But that does not matter because it does not impact on what my point is.  My point is that, under this imaginary scenario, America needs more Republicans in congress with the courage of C. P. Ellis.  And she also needs more Americans, particularly our elected government officials – especially those elected officials in Washington, to be willing to regularly and seriously participate in these ‘charrette’ type meetings regardless of what they call them (perhaps bipartisan negotiations?).  If you have absolutely no idea of what I am talking about, watch the movie.  Then everything will come into focus.

Americans need elected leaders and all other elected government officials who are seeking to be a part of something that is bigger than themselves and their political party; elected officials who are serious about protecting the constitution, governing and keeping America great.  This is not something that can be done through hatred and divisiveness but through love and togetherness: we are stronger together!  Far too many of us have already willingly journeyed much too far down this rabbit hole and toward the abyss while led by the Mr. Donald J. Trump of the United States of America.  But those Americans who are concerned about the direction in which America is traveling must not be discouraged and throw up their hands and give up because they feel that we have traveled too far down this path to turn back.  We must remember that hope is always present!  Hope, change and faith is in our DNA and most if not all of us believe that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  Keep the faith!  Stay in the fight…and win!

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line

‘The Republican Mad Triad’ (TRMT), which consists of Mr. Donald J. Trump, Attorney General William P. Barr and Senate Majority Leader Addison Mitchell (Mitch) McConnell Jr., has a nefarious game plan that it is working to perfection on the American people.  These politicians are assisting Mr. Trump in moving America backwards as quickly as they can.  And they are not alone in helping him.  Almost every Republican in the United States congress is assisting him either directly or tacitly.  And those congressmen are being led by Senator Lindsey Graham who appears to be one of Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s key lieutenants.

The silence of the tacit toadies is deafening!  Mr. Trump is boldly spouting the old familiar words of racist and white supremacists from many years gone by: his rhetoric sounds like words taken directly from a KKK rally.  And the stench of those standing silently by and not challenging him is as bad, if not worse, than that of those human beings that Mr. Trump is having held in cages at America’s southern border in inhumane conditions!  He is not providing them with soap or toothbrushes, he is not providing them with access to showers and some of them have been told to drink water from the toilet.  Vice President Mike Pence continues to stand by Mr. Trump and support his position in the way that he is handling the situation at the southern border.

Mr. Trump knows exactly what he is doing and it seems that he has successfully lulled the American people to sleep.  While the press continues to say that there is no way that Mr. Trump can be reelected with only the support of his base and not expanding that support to the broader electorate, they fail to take into consideration or mention the other things that he is doing to tip the 2020 election scale in his favor: things like gerrymandering, eliminating early voting, eliminating Sunday voting, the purge of voters from eligible voters records, states implementing new voting laws that have a disparate impact on people of color, intimidating potential voters, intimidating voters at the polls and more!  They fail to give serious consideration to all of these things that he is doing in the way of voter suppression!  They fail to consider what the combination of the support of his base and voter suppression can do; and this scenario does not even include the closet Trump voters who find much of what he says and does disgusting but like the affect that the things that result from his acts, no matter how disgusting, have on them.  It is an “I am not that (I do not adhere to that and do not condone those things) but I like this” (the tax break, the trend of the economy, how the resulting outcome will effect white people and etc.) kind of thing.

Wake up America!  Mr. Trump is telling Americans not to believe what they see and/or hear but to believe him.  And many Americans are buying this load of crap that he is selling them although they know that he is a proven liar and conman.  They are buying it because he has trampled on the press and worked to discredit it ever since he entered office and his tactic has worked.  One need only to look at the countries with despots and strongmen where a small percentage of those in power control 90 percent of the population or more to realize that this is not something that is impossible.  Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with looking at things from the perspective of how is this going to affect me; we all do it!  But at the same time that we look at “how is this going to affect me” we need to also look at what price is America and our fellow Americans going to have to pay for it and is it worth that price.  America has always been that kind of a country and it still is even with a Mr. Donald J. Trump leading it.  We Americans simply need to let him and his enablers know in no uncertain terms what we absolutely will not tolerate!

Mr. Trump recently attacked four U.S. congresswomen of color (a.k.a. “The Squad”) and in essence accused them of hating America and Israel and being un-American.  After accusing them of this he told them that if they did not like it in America that they should go back to where they came from.  Based on Mr. Trump’s rhetoric, he was not just addressing those four Democratic congresswomen but he was addressing all people of color.  It just so happens that I am a person of color and I say who the hell is Mr. Trump to tell me to go back to where I came from as if this is his country and not mine too?!  I am an American!  I am just as much an American as he is!  Perhaps he should go back to where he came from; that is, if where he came from would be willing to accept him after witnessing how he has been conducting himself as the Mr. Donald J. Trump of the United States of America!

Before I leave this subject, “The Squad” does not get off totally free here.  I have a message for them as well.  Mr. Trump did not attack you just by chance just as he did not defend Speaker Nancy Pelosi against you by chance.  Mr. Trump is using you to foster tension, descent and internal problems to hurt Democrats and their 2020 election chances.  He is using The Squad’s quarrel with Speaker Pelosi to promote himself and bolster his chances to be reelected.  There is no doubt that The Squad deserves respect but you must also understand why all organizations have leaders, how leadership works, understand the proper protocol to resolve problems with the leader and you must respect the leader and their right to lead.  You likely already know all of these things better than I do, but you need to do more than know them you must incorporate them into how you conduct yourselves.  Because I have no doubt that someday in the future one of you will be the Speaker or even the Senate Majority Leader.  I also have no doubt that somewhere along the way that there will be controversy on your watch and that you will want and even demand that members follow proper protocol.

With this in mind, you should resolve right now that you will not allow anyone in the TRMT to use you and the mandate that you have from your constituents to harm the Democratic Party and your chances to win the presidency, retain the House and win the Senate.  With the way that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell – the self proclaimed Grim Reaper, is packing the courts with conservative judges to Mr. Trump’s liking and blocking bipartisan legislation that Mr. Trump does not want to pass no matter how beneficial it would be to America, Democrats will need all of the leverage that they can get in order to set policies and pass legislation that will help America to heal.  Senate Majority Leader McConnell obviously fully supports Mr. Trump and all of the things that he is doing and he says that The Mr. Trump of the United States of America is not a racist.  Based on the Merriam-Webster Dictionary’s definition of racist, from my perspective, Mr. Trump could be the poster child for “racist.”  I wonder what Majority Leader McConnell’s definition is for “racist.”  A reporter should ask him that question.  Of course if the Majority Leader’s response turned out to be not to Mr. Trump’s liking, we all know that he would call it “Fake News.”

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line

Is Alabama Republican Representative Mo Brooks a hypocrite, coward or both?!  Perhaps he is a sleek well-integrated model of both.  Because Colin Kaepernick said that Nike should not sell sneakers with a Revolutionary War-era flag on them Representative Brooks suggests that he should move to another country where their laws might be better suited to him?!  Is he speaking only to Colin Kaepernick or is he speaking to all people of color while using Mr. Kaepernick as his whipping boy just like the Mr. Donald J. Trump of the United States of America did when he attacked him and all other athletes of color for kneeling during the playing of the National Anthem?  And speaking of Mr. Trump who is one of the most lawless Mr. Donald J. Trump’s of the United States of America – if not the most lawless – ever, where is the voice of the Republicans who swore an oath to the Constitution of the United States when they took office?!  With everything that Mr. Trump is doing to dismantle the institutions and laws of this country while defiantly thumbing his nose at America and those branches of government that are his co-equals, where are their voices; where is Representative Mo Brooks’ voice?!

I am not saying that I agree with Colin Kapernick as regards his opinion on the previously mentioned Revolutionary War-era flag issue.  What I am saying though is that Mr. Kapernick has a right to his opinion and the right to express it without being relegated to anyone’s “not a patriot” heap and who should be banished to another country no matter that offended person’s political affiliation.  Is Representative Brooks a coward?  Is he a hypocrite?  Is he both?  Does it even matter which he is?!  What does matter is that he is not honoring his oath to the Constitution or his responsibility to the American people.  Representative Brooks and all of those other congressional Republicans who are supporting Mr. Trump while winking at his antics for whatever reason are assisting him in ruining this country and all of those great things that it stands for.  There is no legitimate excuse for doing that!  I am not suggesting that the right choices that they must make are easy ones but I am suggesting that they must make those choices; that is what they were elected to do!  That is what they swore to do to the best of their ability when they were installed in office!  It is obvious that they are not doing that.

I want to be clear.  I am not saying that Representative Brooks is a bad human being or that he should be punished for his way of thinking.  But I am saying that he is a hypocrite, a coward or a combination of the two and that he needs to clean up his act.  None of us is perfect and the majority of us are not faced with making such grave decisions with regards to our democracy as is Representative Brooks.  But the majority of us are not officials who were elected to represent the American people as a whole.  So come on Representative Brooks, stop posturing for reelection and do your job.

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line

At least two supporters of former Vice President Joe Biden are obviously very angry at Senator Kamala Harris because she challenged Mr. Biden on his comments as he reminisced about his warmhearted relationship with two segregationist senators during his speech at the Jesse Jackson Rainbow PUSH Coalition.  According to an article in POLITICO by Carla Marinucci and Natasha Korecki, when one Biden supporter, Lee White, was asked about Senator Harris’ challenge he said; “She played low ball, which was out of character.  And he didn’t expect it, nor did I.  She should not have gone that route.  She’s much too intelligent, she’s been able to be successful thus far, why do you have to do that.”  Another Biden supporter from California, which is Senator Harris’ home state put it in harsher terms when he said; “It’s going to bite her in the ass.  Very early on there was a buzz… Biden-Kamala is the dream ticket, the best of both worlds.”  After this week, “That s—t ain’t happening.”

Every reasonable Democrat – and everyone else, knows that Joe Biden is not a racist and that he has fought hard for civil rights during his entire career as a politician.  Having said that, It has been proven time-and-again that politics is a tough game that tends to get into, and far too often, beyond the grey areas of what some Americans find to be beyond the pale; that is why so many of them find politics distasteful and refuse to follow it.  I don’t know if some consider what Senator Harris did to Mr. Biden to be an unfair attack that was beyond the pale; I certainly don’t think that it was: and I respect the previously mentioned Biden supporters’ right to say that she “played low ball” and that “it’s going to bite her in the ass.”  But what I do know is that what she did exposed Mr. Biden, whom I greatly admire and believe to be a man of principle and integrity, as a person who might struggle to deal with the current Donald J. Trump of the United States of America, Mr. Donald J. Trump, in a one-on-one debate and defeat him.

I am still closely watching and weighing all of the primary candidates in an effort to determine which one of them can best handle Mr. Trump, a man with no moral compass and who has no bottom when it comes to how low a human being can go when it comes to winning and/or getting their way.  After the most recent Democratic debate if the choice to be the Democratic nominee boiled down to Senator Harris or Mr. Biden, I would be compelled to give Senator Harris the edge over Mr. Biden.  I would give the edge to Senator Harris because she demonstrated some very sharp and unique skills in taking Mr. Biden apart in this debate.  And even if he did not expect her to come after him in the manner that she did he should have been able to think on his feet and avoid or, at least, greatly mitigate the amount of damage that she would be able to do to him.  He did not do that and he made matters worse in the way that he tried to defend himself.  If he was taken by surprise by the way that Senator Harris attacked him, what would happen if he were face-to-face with Mr. Trump who has no boundaries and no bottom as regards how low he can go when he plays “low ball?”

Not only did Senator Harris manage to throw Joe Biden off balance in her attack on him during the Debate but she used these same skills previously in taking down United States Attorney General William Barr when she questioned him during his testimony to the senate: she left him confused and virtually speechless during his responses to her questions.  And it was not because he did not understand the questions that she asked him.  Instead, it was because with the skill and precision with which she asked these questions he was unable to effectively be evasive and obfuscate in his responses.  These are precisely the kind of skills that the candidate who will eventually face Mr. Trump will need.  During a debate they will need to remain focused and cut through the bluster of a bloviating imposter and conman who, according to records, has lied over 10, 000 times thus far during his time in office and force him to deal with facts and the truth.  Not “alternative facts” or Trump facts, which exist only inside his private bubble of Trump World; but real facts and real truth that exists in the real world.

The Democratic primaries have really only just begun so there is still plenty of time for all of the other candidates to have the opportunity to demonstrate their skills so that voting Americans can decide who among them have what it takes to confront Mr. Trump in debates and defeat him in the 2020 general election.  Once we decide who those candidates are we can then select the very best one and throw all of our support behind them and do everything within our power to help them defeat Mr. Trump.  It is impossible to overemphasize how important it is to defeat Mr. Trump for numerous reasons.

Among those reasons why it is so important to defeat Mr. Trump are; 1) He has completely ignored the emoluments clause in the Constitution.  2) He has refused to present his income tax returns to the appropriate organizations and personnel for review so that they can assure the American people that all is well which will allow them to be comfortable and confident that he is protecting the country’s interest first rather than his own personal interest.  3) He has ignored the traditions regarding nepotism.  4) He has openly obstructed justice on many occasions and defied congressional subpoenas for materials.  5) He has instructed those who are and were a part of his administration to defy subpoenas.  6) He has caused and/or allowed children of immigrants to be separated from their parents and then placed those parents and children in detention facilities (cages) under inhumane conditions on America’s southern border.  7) He has done many other things that are unbecoming of a Mr. Donald J. Trump of the United States of America including his current apparent attempt to ignore a U.S. Supreme Court ruling by way of an Executive Order.  The bottom line is that he has already done what might be irreparable damage to America including ruin her reputation around the world in the eyes of our allies and enemies.

With Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell by his side enabling him in everything that he does no matter how lawless or crass, the Republicans in congress and the senate remaining silent at all costs and refusing to hold him to account Mr. Trump is conducting himself as if he is invincible.  With each thing that he does for which he is not held accountable he becomes more bold in thumbing his nose at the rule of law and all American institutions that will not bow down to him and kiss his ring.  Let there be no doubt that Mr. Trump is not alone in these atrocities.  He and all of those Republicans in congress who continue to support him and wink at the way that he is conducting himself should and must be held to account.  We can assure that they are through our vote.  So always remember, whether you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent, your vote is the most important one of all…unless you don’t use it!  If you value our democracy as we now know it and want to preserve it for posterity, be sure to do your civic duty and vote!

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line

‘The Infamous Gang of Three’ – the Mr. Donald J. Trump of the United States of America, the Republican-led congress and the Prime Minister of Israel – Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, appear to be working together in lockstep to achieve Mr. Trump’s goal to take America back to the Jim Crow and pre-Roe v Wade Days.  I am referring to the same Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu who bypassed standard protocol to inform the then President of the United States of America, Mr. Barack Obama, that he was coming to the United States of America with the intention of speaking on the floor of the United States Congress.  He certainly did not let him know that he would be speaking in an effort to undermine his effort to strike an agreement with Iran on a nuclear deal!

Although Prime Minister Netanyahu might not be motivated by the same reasons that are motivating Republican members of congress to snuggle up to Mr. Trump no matter how lawless or outrageous the things he does, he – along with the Republican-led congress – have opted to sell their soul to him in order to achieve their own personal goals.  Prime Minister Netanyahu is content to watch from the sideline as the Mr. Trump of the United States of America rips down all of the guardrails of American democracy and puts his foot on the necks of people of color and women in order for him to try to achieve his goal of what he has dubbed “Make America Great Again!”  Prime Minister Netanyahu, I challenge you to juxtapose this same situation that Mr. Trump is subjecting people of color and women to in the United States but instead with those people of color and women being Israelites; then ask yourself, would I still be as enamored with Mr. Trump as I am now?!  Would I still dedicate a town (Trump Heights) in the Golan Heights to him?!  It seems so hypocritical for someone like you to cozy up to someone like Mr. Donald J. Trump!  Think about it!

It is frightening to see Mr. Trump openly defy the laws of our country, regularly challenge co-equal branches of government and cause them to cower before him, continuously thumb his nose at America and the American people, ply dictators and strongmen with accolades and talk about the possibility that those who support him might demand that he serve more than two terms.  For whatever reasons, it appears that Mr. Trump has Mitch McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader in his pocket because Mr. McConnell is constantly aiding and abetting him.  Mr. Trump is becoming bolder each time that he breaks the law and faces no consequences but instead gains more support from the Republican Party.  With the impending decisions due from the Supreme Court, I can only hope that their responses won’t pave the way for the situation to evolve to the “Gang of Four.”  Whether or not it does, I don’t know if impeachment is the answer but something must be done to stop this out of control so-called American president.

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line

Allow me to begin by stating that I have read the entire Mueller Report.  It is important that I begin with that statement because there has been a lot of talk on cable news shows lately about how congress needs to educate the public on the information contained in the Mueller Report.  Many of the cable news contributors on these shows say that this is necessary if congress has any real expectations of getting the public to support them in impeaching the Mr. Donald J. Trump of the United States of America, Mr. Donald J. Trump.  Really?!  I am not against cable news or any other media doing its part to help educate the public but, come on; we must take part in our own political education just like we did when we were in K-12 school or college.  If we don’t, even if “education by congress” does work, it will definitely encourage voters to feel privileged, expect to always be pampered and continue to expect to be spoon-fed.  We will continue to be lazy when it comes to politics, performing our civic duty and protecting our precious democracy.

What the cable news stations really need to do is to find a way to virtually grab all of us who consume cable news and the rest of America by the collar and shake us until we come back to our senses!  They need to shake us back into reality!  This is our democracy that we are talking about and whether or not it will continue to exist as we know it, if it continues to exist at all!  It is not the responsibility of cable news or anyone else to spoon-feed us when it comes to political issues and politics; especially when these issues could have an existential impact on our democracy itself!  We should not need to be spoon-fed when it comes to this!  What am I missing here?!  Are we so busy enjoying life that we don’t even have time to do our patriotic duty to help save our country from disaster?!  Are we so consumed with self that posterity does not matter?!  What about our children and our children’s children?!  Do they not matter?!

Of course, not all Americans are political geeks who obsessively follow politics; as a matter of fact, many Americans hate politics and do not want anything to do with it.  But this does not mean that they should not take the time to educate themselves on political issues and always remain educated on current political issues so that they can intelligently vote for or against candidates who are in office or for or against those who are running for office.  Voting is our civic duty!  And if we vote without having any knowledge of the issues and just on election cycle sound bites, we are derelict of duty and might as well not vote at all.  Let me be clear, I am not encouraging Americans to not vote at all but rather to get informed, stay informed and always vote.  No one expects voters to research all candidates in office or who are running for office to the “N^th” degree but it is certainly reasonable to expect them to get informed on the issues and not simply vote based on sound bites and/or the aesthetic appeal of a candidate.

The Mr. Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and his attorney general, Mr. William Barr have lied to the American people about the Mueller Report and are leading them down a rabbit hole that is taking America back to the Jim Crow days and pre Roe v. Wade days.  Mr. Trump has openly sided with President Vladimir Putin against his own American intelligence community – which Attorney General Barr is now investing to determine whether or not their investigation of Mr. Trump as it relates to Russia and Russia’s interference in the 2016 election began as the result of corruption in the American Intelligence Community – and he has sided with a dictator while on foreign soil to disparage former Vice President Joe Biden.  These are only among the most recent disgusting things that Mr. Trump has done to debase the office of the presidency and embarrass America in the eyes of the American people, America’s allies and the world.  And yet, almost all of the U.S. senators – under the leadership of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and congressional Representatives continue to support, protect and enable him.

It is extremely important that all Americans, regardless of our party affiliation, take a step back and look closely at what is happening in our country right now.  We must stop assuming that our democracy is so strong that it does not demand our attention as voters because nothing can possibly hurt, let alone, destroy it!  All of us need to focus in on what Special Counsel Mueller said when he said today that “all Americans” should be concerned about what Russia did in our 2016 election, that they are likely to try to interfere in our 2020 election and that they will likely continue to interfere in American politics into the future.  It is incumbent upon all American voters to educate ourselves on the issues and remain educated on ongoing issues.  It is and has always been important that we vote.  But in these perilous times in which our democracy and its founding principles are being tried and tested to the limit, it is of the utmost importance that all Americans fulfill their civic duty and vote.

So I want to take this opportunity to encourage all voting-age Americans to always vote.  And if somewhere along the way for any reason you find yourself making an excuse as to why you don’t need to cast your ballot always remember, your vote is the most important one of all…unless you don’t use it!

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line